What's Important
by oldschoollover
Summary: Lillian and Mikhail have an argument when they first meet. But how will Mikhail react when she gets injured?
1. River Song

**Hope you enjoy!**

Lillian was speeding down the mountain on her stallion, trying to finish all of her errands for the day. She was speeding down the mountain towards Bluebell, when she suddenly noticed someone walking down the mountain directly in her path! She pulled on the reins, screaming "Watch out!" The villager looked around and barely avoided being hit by her horse, albeit, he was hit by the cart, causing him to land on top of and smash his violin. Lillian, having hit the villager, veered to the right, causing her horse to whiney and rear up on its hind legs. Lillian was then thrown sideways off the horse, rolling down the mountain, and finally stopping when she landed in a bush. Her horse kept whinnying, then eventually grew quiet.

Dazed, Lillian opened her eyes, mentally assessing any damage. She didn't seem to be hurt, probably just a few scratches and bruises. Suddenly, an inhuman cry rang throughout the mountain, causing her horse to whiney again. She jumped up and ran towards her horse, trying to calm him down. Her eyes fell on the villager she hit, kneeling next to a pile of wood. He whipped around to face her, his green eyes blazing. She flinched.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" he screamed at her.

"A-Are you ok?" she asked meekly. He seemed uninjured. His short, white hair had a couple of leaves in it, and his glasses were crooked on his face.

Her question seemed to anger him further though.

"Am I ok?! AM I _OK?! _LOOK WHAT _YOU'VE_ DONE!" he stood up to his full height of over six feet. She flinched again, paling. He quickly walked over to her, grabbed her arm, and roughly pulled her over to the wood pile. She winced at his grip. He fiercely pointed his finger at the pile.

"That was my violin! An heirloom, over 90 years old! And you've _ruined _it!"

"I-I'm sorry, I c-can pay-"

"THAT WAS A PRICELESS HEIRLOOM, YOU IDIOT!" he shouted again, causing her to jump. He roughly shoved her aside in disgust, causing her to fall and roll a little on the mountain. He ran over to the wood pile and gathered it up in his arms.

"You stay away from me, you hear?! Don't ever come near me again!" and with that, he ran down the mountain towards Bluebell, presumably trying to fix his violin at Eileen's. Lillian could only stare after him, fighting tears. Her horse put his head on her shoulder and she stroked it lightly. After a while, she got back on her horse and slowly made her way down the hill. She'd missed some deadlines now for deliveries, so she shipped her superfluous items.

When she made her way into town, she parked her horse next to the fountain, got off, and made her way to Ash, who was outside taking care of livestock.

"Hey, Ash!" she called, trying to sound cheery. He looked over, waved and smiled, but then he looked startled.

"Lillian? What happened to you? You have a million scratches!"

"I just fell a little in the mountain, nothing to worry about," she explained as she hopped over the fence.

"I have the items you requested!" His face lightened.

"Really? Great!" he exclaimed as she pulled them out of her bag. He took them, went into the barn, and came out a few minutes later with a bell.

"Here you go! Now you can herd your livestock!"

"Thanks, Ash, you're the best!" She gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"Ash? ASH! Come play with me!" Cheryl called out in her sing-song voice, skipping over the fence and grabbing her brother's hand. He looked embarrassed.

"Um, but Cheryl-"

"No, it's ok, Ash, I have other errands to do today anyway. See you guys!" she said, smiling and waving goodbye as she hopped over the fence again. She walked towards Howard's Café and saw him talking excitedly to Rose. She then spotted Cam behind his stand.

"Hey, Cam!" she called, running up to him. He smiled at her.

"Good morning, Lillian, how are you today?"

"I'm doing well, what are you selling today?"

Cam examined her. "You look a little pale and banged up. What happened?"

She sighed. Cam, quiet and observant, could always see right through her.

"I fell in the mountains today. I'm feeling a little sad now."

He studied her again. Then he smiled a little. From behind his back, he produced a daisy.

"For you," he said. Lillian's expression brightened and she gratefully took it.

"Thanks so much, Cam!"

He was silent again.

"Would you like to go on a date? They always make me feel better."

"Sure! Where do you want to go?"

"By the river. It's nice and peaceful there."

"Sounds good! But I need to bring my horse, so I don't have to go back again."

"All right, let me get some food from the café first." He went inside. Lillian took off her bandana from her work outfit and put the daisy in her hair. She then went over to her horse and took his reins.

"Boo."

Lillian jumped, turned around, and laughed. It was only Cam, holding a picnic basket, smiling at her.

"Cam!" she exclaimed, laughing. He laughed with her.

"Shall we go?" They started walking, Lillian leading her horse next to her. They went to the river at Bluebell Lower Mountain. Lillian parked her horse, Cam set up the blanket, and they had a nice afternoon eating, talking, laughing, and simply being friendly. When the sun started to set, they started to pack up. Lillian stretched.

"Thanks for a great day, Cam! I feel better now!"

"I'm glad," he said, laughing a little, "I had fun too. Maybe we can do this again sometime."

"Yeah, that'd be fun!"

He smiled. "Well, see you Lillian." They waved goodbye, leaving in opposite directions. She mounted her horse and slowly rode back towards Konohana, still smiling.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

A few days later, after she was done her chores and visiting a few Konohana villagers, Lillian walked up towards the mountain summit, and had her owl fly her down towards Bluebell. When she landed near the fountain, Ash jumped in surprise.

"Wow! I didn't know you could have your owl fly you places!"

"Yeah! It's great!" she said as her owl flew away, "It makes coming here so much easier."

"Well," he began, hopping over the fence, "I'd sure like that. I don't get out of Bluebell much." He sat down on the bench near the fountain and she sat next to him.

"I hope that sometime soon the tunnel can be repaired, so you can visit there more. It's fun, travelling to different villages!"

They quickly got caught up in their conversation, when, eventually, Cheryl skipped over.

"Brother! Come play with me!"

"Not right now, Cheryl. I'm talking to Lillian. Let's play later."

Cheryl looked like she was going to cry. "Is she so much better than me? Why do you spend so much time with her?"

"Cheryl, she's my friend! You have to understand-"

"I hate you!" she yelled at him, running off towards the mountain.

"Cheryl!" he called after her. He looked at Lillian.

"I have to go after her. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry! I'll come with her! Let's go find her!" and with that, they ran towards the mountain, eventually splitting up in different directions, calling out her name. After a while, Lillian eventually found her on top of one of the cliffs, near the bridge and the Konohana waterfall. She quickly made her way up to her.

"Cheryl! Please, get down! You could get hurt!" She was now on the same cliff as her, and the roar of the waterfall was deafening.

"I hate you!" Cheryl yelled at her, "Why are you stealing my brother away? He's mine! Not yours!"

"I'm sorry, Cheryl! We were just talking! Please, just step away from the waterfall!"

"Why does my brother never play with me anymore! He's always with you and other girls! I hate it!"

Lillian began slowly walking towards her, reaching out to her, "Cheryl, please-"

"I hate you! Don't touch me!" she yelled as Lillian put her hand on her arm. She wriggled out of her grasp and with a lot of struggle, causing them to switch places. Now Lillian was in more danger.

"Get off of me!" she yelled, pushing her, trying to break her grip. The force of her push did break her grip, but Lillian stumbled backwards, trying to regain her balance. But she was already close to the edge, so she stumbled off the cliff. She didn't scream. It felt like slow motion to her. Her mouth and eyes were open in surprise and her arms were still reaching out and she grabbed the air, Cheryl's cry of "_Lillian!_" echoing. She flipped around and tried to dive, plunging and smacking into the water. Most of her breath was knocked out of her, as she was tossed back and forth in the cold Fall water. Lucky for her, the river was deeper than it looked, so she didn't smack into many rocks, but now, she didn't know which way was up and which way was down. Her lungs were burning.

She tried to open her eyes, but that was hardly better. She groped her way towards the river's edge, slowly trying to raise her head, which felt weighed down by her disorientation. Black spots were appearing in front of her eyes, but she had to keep lifting her head.

Suddenly, she was roughly pulled up onto the river's edge by a hand on the back of her shirt. Her head broke the surface and he gasped in the air gratefully, but too quickly; she began to feel lightheaded.

She put her head down and began coughing. Someone's hand was smacking her back and she spit out water. Something was thrown on top of her. A blanket? She blinked and opened her eyes, realizing over the sound of the waterfall and the water coming out of her ears that people were talking. Why were they talking so loudly? She wanted to sleep now.

Someone was crying. A little girl. She blinked again, trying to focus. Cheryl was there, crying next to someone.

"-and make sure there isn't a next time! Have better control of her! She's _your_ sister!" Why did that voice sound familiar. The blond girl was a sister to someone? Oh, right! Ash! She blinked again, river water stinging her eyes.

"She ran off!...mbled and then she just fell!" The water was finally draining a little. She tried to push herself off the ground, but she felt like her head was full of water. She didn't feel concussed though. It must have been from smacking the water. She groaned slightly, closing her eyes. The conversation stopped abruptly.

"_Lillian!_" Cheryl cried.

"Don't go near her!" that other voice yelled, "She's very disoriented!"

"I'm fine," she croaked out. She felt like she'd swallowed sandpaper. She groaned again as tried to push herself onto her knees, breathing deeply. Someone put kneeled down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Lillian, you're hurt, you shouldn't move," the voice said, softly. It was a man's voice, definitely. But where had she heard it before? She opened her eyes and turned her head. The man's face was close to hers, green eyes laced with concern. She gasped.

"Oh, Goddess! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed hoarsely, trying to move away, but his hand held her there. What was she sitting on? She gasped again. His coat!

"Lillian!" another voice yelled. She looked away from the man and towards the other voice. It was Ash, looking pale and terrified as his sister clung to him, still crying.

"Take her back to your house," the man said, not taking his eyes off of Lillian, "she's probably traumatized."

For no reason that Lillian could see, Ash took offense to this, standing up straighter.

"Who do you think-!"

The man whipped around, now standing and at his full height. Ash flinched a little. She imagined he was giving Ash the same look he'd given her when she broke his violin.

"Your friend just fell off a cliff! If it had been your sister, she could have been killed! Don't argue with me! Go back to your village!"

"But Lillian-!"

"She'll be alright! I'll take care of her! Besides, there's a doctor in Konohana anyway! Now, go!"

Ash glared at him, then ran and kneeled down next to Lillian.

"Lillian, I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah, me too! I don't hate you!" Cheryl cried.

Lillian smiled, "Thanks, guys, I'll be fine. Why don't you have a nice glass of warm milk, Cheryl?"

Cheryl smiled a little. Ash gave Lillian a bone-crushing hug.

"I'm sorry," his voice was softer now, "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it's ok," she said, softly.

He let go of her, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking at her directly.

"Feel better."

"Of course," she replied, smiling.

With some reluctance, Ash stood up, took Cheryl's hand, mumbled a "thank you" to the man, and, with one last apologetic glance at her, began the hike back to Bluebell. She and the man watched them go, then he turned back to her and knelt next to her again.

"Can you stand?"

"Pshaw! Of course!" she said, as she struggled to her feet. He gripped her with both hands, trying to help her up and keep the coat on her.

"We need to get you to the doctor."

"Wait!" she yelled, voice cracking. She forgot she was hoarse. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes?"

"I don't know your name."

His expression softened slightly, "It's Mikhail."

"You saved me."

"No, I just helped you out. You would've gotten out eventually. Your friend was too shaken up to do anything useful!"

"You hate me, though. I smashed your violin."

He looked guilty. He gestured behind him and Lillian saw a violin case.

"When I ran off and left you on the mountain, I found the carpenter. She's a miracle worker, that woman! Managed to fix it like new! But, I was angrily explaining to her what had happened and she was speaking in your defense, kept talking to me until I'd calmed down, and then it was fixed. She said it really was an accident, and she was right. I'm sorry."

She blinked in surprise. "No problem. "

"C'mon, we can talk as we walk." He gingerly gripped her arm, leading her to his violin case, picked it up, and they began walking towards the village. A breeze blew and she drew the coat tighter around herself, shivering.

"Oh, man, this is a nice coat, and I'm getting it dirty!" She began to take it off, but he stopped her.

"Don't worry, I can wash it. That's not what's important here."

"Aren't you cold?"

He smiled and waved her off, "I'm not the one who fell in the river."

Then he frowned, "You should've been more careful."

"Like I should've been more careful when we first met?"

He sighed.

"I wasn't going to leave her up there," she continued, "She's a little girl!"

"And what about you?" he argued, "If that river had been shallower, you could've been seriously injured!"

"Could've. But I didn't."

"What's wrong with you?!" he yelled, stepping in front of her. She bumped into him and looked up. He was at least a head taller than her. She glared at him.

"You are so critical. Not everyone thinks the same way you do. You're just feeling guilty over that incident on the mountain! Like, if I would've died, you would've had to live with guilt!"

"Oh, for the love of-!" he exclaimed, raising his hands in frustration and dropping his violin case. Lillian stared at it, but he bent down at eye level and she had to look at him.

"Lillian, there are some things in this world more important than material objects! You, for example! Everyone in these villages knows you're a great part of the community! Look how popular you are! Selfless, brave! And yet so _stupid_! Do you not realize how you've changed lives?!"

"And how would you know?" she asked him, surprised. He sure is one for giving speeches.

He sighed, trying to calm himself down. "Never mind." He then picked her up in his right arm, disregarding her protests, and gripped his violin case in his left hand. He began walking again.

"Hey! Wait! I can walk!"

"Sometimes, it's ok to be taken care of," he said, softly. She looked up at him. He had a determined look on his face. But, she didn't know what to say, so she just let him take care of her, secretly grateful for it.


	2. Peace and Discordance

**Hope you enjoy!**

Mikhail continued his walk down the mountain towards Konohana. A light breeze rustled the fall leaves as the sun began setting. He looked down and realized Lillian had fallen asleep in his arms. He felt really bad about the way he'd treated her recently. He remembered the hurt expression on her face as he screamed at her. He remembered feeling humbled as Eileen vouched for her. And he remembered feeling terrified for her life a couple of hours ago.

_FB_

Mikhail had just gotten his violin back from Eileen, good as new. Now, he felt terribly guilty about the way he'd treated that girl a couple of days ago. Regardless of whether it was an heirloom or not, there was no excuse for his behavior. A rustle in the bushes caught his attention. He looked up and saw a little girl running somewhere. He shrugged, thinking nothing of it, probably just playing with the forest animals or bugs. He'd seen her sometimes catching bugs in the mountains.

Sometime later, he reached the mountain summit. It was always so peaceful here. The sun was shining brightly. Mikhail smiled, setting his new violin case down and was just about to open the clasps when he heard a shriek. He froze. That definitely was a human sound. He then heard another scream, but this time, it came from a guy. He'd heard playful yelling before, but this sounded like bloody murder. Grabbing the handle of his case, he flew down towards the source of the sound, on the other side of the mountain. The sound of the waterfall reached his ears, as well as more screaming. He came to a halt by the cliffs and looked up. A young guy was calling out to the little girl he'd seen earlier on the cliffs. She was crying. Even over the waterfall, Mikhail could hear what they were saying.

"Cheryl! Are you alright?!"

"Lillian!" she screamed at him. Mikhail was confused for half a second. Surely, this guy couldn't be named _Lillian_. Then her next words made his heart skip a beat: "She fell!"

Mikhail looked towards the waterfall then. No one could survive that fall! But then, white foam caught his eye in the river. Without a second thought, Mikhail dropped his violin case, running closer, the foam starting to disappear.

He reached his hand in, and sure enough, there was someone there, still alive! He hauled the person out by their shirt, marveling at how light the person was. The person gasped and he dropped her to the ground. It was her! She began coughing and shivering and he began smacking her back until she spit up water, not caring if he was being too rough. He quickly stripped off his coat and threw it on top of her, then he turned around and saw the guy and the little girl. The little girl was crying and the guy was trying to console her. Somehow, this made him very angry. He stormed up to them.

"What's the matter with you?! Why was she on the cliffs with _her_?!" he exclaimed, gesturing back at Lillian's shuddering form.

The guy had the nerve to look defensive, "She ran off while I was talking to Lillian! We split up looking for her! I didn't know!"

"Ash," she wailed, "I'm sorry! I was angry! I'm the worst sister ever!"

"I know, I know, it's ok."

That made Mikhail really mad.

"It's _ok_?! They both could have died! It's not _ok_!"

"Look, next time-"

"Be more responsible and make sure there isn't a next time! Have better control of her! She's _your_ sister!"

"She ran off!" Ash argued, "Cheryl says she was trying to fight off her grip and she stumbled and then just fell!"

A groan rang in Mikhail's ears. He whipped his head to the right and saw Lillian groaning, struggling to get up.

"_Lillian!_" Cheryl screamed at her.

"Don't go near her!" he ordered, never taking his eyes off of her, "She's very disoriented!"

She was still trying to push herself up. She groaned again and closed her eyes. Not caring that he was being hypocritical, Mikhail was by her side in a second, kneeling next to her, arm around her shoulders.

"Lillian, you're hurt, you shouldn't move," he said softly, quite a change from his recent yelling. He didn't want to frighten her anymore. He wanted to be there for her, atone for his actions.

She opened her eyes and turned her head slowly towards him. Her brown eyes widened in shock. She definitely remembered him.

"Oh, Goddess! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed hoarsely from all the river water she inhaled. She tried to move away from him, perhaps trying not to anger him again, but his arm was firm around her shoulders and she couldn't move. But then, she realized she wasn't sitting on grass and she looked down and gasped at his trench coat. Under normal circumstances, he would've found it hilarious.

And after more conversation, Lillian made her way in his arms.

_FB_

Mikhail reached the doctor's office. Luckily, people were having dinner or something that involved remaining indoors, so he didn't get any stares. He opened the door. Dr. Ayame and Hiro turned around, surprised, then shocked and concerned.

"What happened?!" they both questioned. Hiro gestured him towards the beds. He laid her down gently. Dr. Ayame joined them, performing an analysis.

"She's fine, just banged up. We should keep her overnight anyway." She ran off, getting various medical supplies.

"What happened?" Hiro asked again.

"She fell in the river," he stated simply. He didn't want to talk about it. It surprised him how frightened he'd been, and how relieved.

Luckily, Dr. Ayame came back and applied bandages on her.

"I need to change her clothes. Here," she said, gently extracting his coat from underneath her, "I'll wash this for you as well. Now, both of you need to leave."

"Can I stay here overnight?" Mikhail asked. He wasn't quite sure how the words tumbled out of his mouth. Dr. Ayame looked surprised, but pleased.

"If you like, but there's really no reason to. I'm sure you'll be more comfortable at home."

"I'll be fine here," he assured her.

"Very well. Hiro, please fetch him a blanket." With that, she ushered them away for a bit. He followed Hiro upstairs, talking about odds and ends.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, thanks."

They sat at the table and drank their tea, continuing friendly conversation. Mikhail found him surprisingly easy to talk to. After a while, Hiro asked him to play his violin and he happily played, eager to try out his recently recovered violin. It played the same as before. Later, Hiro yawned.

"Boy, it's been a long day. Oh, right, I need to get you a blanket! You're sleeping up here, yes?"

"No, I'd rather sleep sitting up downstairs."

"Suit yourself," Hiro said, shrugging, grabbing a blanket, and leading him downstairs again. Mikhail grabbed his violin and followed.

Dr. Ayame was sitting with her downstairs already. Mikhail made himself comfortable in his chair and Hiro went upstairs.

"She's looking better," she said, "but she should take it easy tomorrow."

"She should, but I doubt she will."

"Yes," Dr. Ayame agreed, "her farm keeps her pretty busy."

"She works on a farm?"

She looked at him in surprise. "What, didn't you know? She lives right behind the Town Hall. Always doing errands and making her deliveries, it's amazing she still has time for a social life."

"Yeah," he agreed, quietly, remembering their first encounter.

"Well," she said, standing up, "I'll be at my desk. Let me know if you need anything."

"You should get some rest," he told her.

"So should you," she countered. He grunted noncommittally. She smiled at him and walked away.

He settled back into his chair, looking at her. She looked so peaceful still. How could he be so cruel to her? And without realizing it, he fell asleep.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Lillian woke up to sunlight streaming through a window. She groggily opened her eyes. She felt so much better from yesterday, warm and comfortable. Her eyes met an unfamiliar ceiling. Confusion hit her, then realization. She had made it to the doctor's. She turned her head and saw Mikhail sleeping back in a chair, a blanket on top of him. On another chair hung her clothes and his coat. She blinked again and sat up.

"How do you feel?" Dr. Ayame asked her, handing her a bento lunch.

"Better," she said, her voice not as terrible today. Mikhail twitched.

"He stayed here all night?"

"Yes, he was very worried about you," Dr. Ayame told her.

"Oh," was all she could manage.

"Your clothes are dry now. Leave whenever you feel ready."

"Thank you, Dr. Ayame," she told her gratefully. The doctor smiled at her and went back to work.

She began to eat, contemplating yesterday's events, not really sure how everything happened. One minute, Mikhail was hating her, next minute, he insists on taking care of her. Granted, she did fall off a cliff. It was so great how near-death experiences can bring people together. _"Oh sssssshoot. I owe him my life now?!"_

"What's wrong?" Mikhail asked her. She looked at him in horror. He was looking at her with concern. He rolled his eyes at her.

"What, is there something on my face?"

"N-No!"

"Then what is it?"

"Nothing," she muttered. He rolled his eyes again and sighed.

"I'm getting changed!" she proclaimed, grabbing her clothes and drawing the curtain around herself. When she was back in her work outfit, she drew back the curtain. Mikhail was standing in front of Dr. Ayame's desk in conversation, his coat back on and violin case in hand.

"Oh, Lillian, are you ready to leave?" Dr. Ayame asked as she walked towards them.

"Yes, I have to get back to my farm," she stated as she looked at the clock. It was already 8am.

"Ok, but take it easy today. Falling in the river isn't something to be taken lightly."

"Yes," she agreed, wondering how much Mikhail had told her.

"Thank you, Dr. Ayame."

"Anytime," she returned, watching her and Mikhail leave.

Once they were outside, Lillian felt awkward.

"Well…um…."

"Which way's your farm?" he interrupted.

"Um, that way," she pointed and they began walking.

"Um…"

"Yes?"

"I owe you one."

"No, you don't. We're even now."

"Um-"

"What is it?"

"Nothing," she muttered. "_Would he have saved me if we haven't met? Not like I needed saving, anyway. I would've gotten out, eventually!_"

Mikhail looked at her and smiled to himself. Then, when he saw who was at her farm, his smile turned into a frown and a glare.

Lillian looked up. "Ash!" she yelled, happily.

"Hey, there!" he yelled back, completely ignoring her companion. He ran to her and she ran to him and they embraced and Mikhail thought it was sickening how she could forgive him so easily.

Lillian, on the other hand, felt like a million bucks, "How are you? How's Cheryl? Are you ok?"

Mikhail snorted in derision and Lillian looked at him, confused, but Ash replied to her.

"I should be asking you the same thing!"

"What are you doing here? It's a far walk!"

"Well," he began, gesturing to a brown owl next to her white one on her fence. "I only walked halfway."

"A real man would walk all the way," Mikhail stated, not bothering to lower his voice.

Lillian turned back at him, still confused and wondering why he was upset at her friend. Ash was still determined to ignore him.

"So, Lillian," he began, loudly, trying to draw her attention back to him. Lillian turned her head back, "Would you like help on your farm? You can use that new bell I gave you! Then, maybe we could-"

A screeching noise made them both jump and the owls fly somewhere else. They both looked around. Mikhail was playing his violin, well, not really _playing_, more like _murdering_ his violin. Mikhail looked back at them, grinning evilly.

"Oh, sorry," Mikhail said, not sounding at all sorry. Ash was seething. "My violin took a beating recently. _Someone _smashed it." He looked pointedly at her. Ash looked at her in confusion. Lillian looked at Mikhail in horror.

"But, you said it was fixed good as new!"

He laughed without humor, "Oh, Lillian, you smashed it in a million bits, how could it ever play normally after that? But, it's ok. Keep talking. Don't let me interrupt." Mikhail went back to screeching his violin. He knew he was being cruel and unfair, but the sight of Ash really ticked him off.

"She must have had a good reason to smash it if she did!" Ash yelled at him, half out of anger, half because it was hard to hear anything else.

Lillian felt like she was going to cry. She marched in front of him. His eyes were closed.

"Stop that noise! I need to do my chores!" He ignored her. She grabbed his playing arm, only slightly reducing his tempo.

"Mikhail, please stop! You're scaring the animals!" She kept tugging, but to no avail. Her ears were really starting to hurt, and tears began streaming down her face without her permission.

"_MIKHAIL!" _she screamed bloody murder. The screeching halted and Mikhail opened his eyes in surprise. His arms dropped the position they were in and he looked down at her in horror. She became silent, looking at him, wide-eyed.

She felt a hand on her arm and jumped a little. Ash was looking at her, kindly and sadly.

"C'mon, Lillian, let's take care of your farm," and with that, she let him pull her away from Mikhail's frozen form and into the barn.


	3. Heartless

**Hope you enjoy!**

Lillian and Ash finished her chores in the barn. They'd taken care of the items, packed items to ship, and even had a decent conversation. Ash tried to take her mind of Mikhail, but she still felt sad. Why was he being so mean to her? He _was_ pretending his violin was screeching, right?

Mikhail was long gone from his spot frozen outside her house. She and Ash walked along the pathway, talking animatedly. They walked over to the shipment box and she shipped her products.

"So, where do we go from here?" she asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, are you going back to Bluebell right away? 'Cause I don't wanna hold you up if you are."

"Oh, no, no, no, it's actually our day off!" he reassured her, "In fact, do you wanna hang out today?"

"Sounds great!" she said excitedly.

He smiled widely at her, "Great! Where do you wanna go? I've never been in Konohana much!"

"How about I show you around the town? Then, maybe we can eat later at Yun's Teahouse."

"Whatever you want," he told her. She smiled at him, and they began walking. They hung out by the bridge and eventually by some benches under a cherry tree, talking about nothing in particular. Then a thought struck her.

"Does Cheryl know you're here? She would kill us if she saw us like this!"

Ash's gave her a look. She suddenly felt sheepish.

"Ok, bad pun, given recent events."

"Cheryl is spending time with our mother today."

"Why don't you bring her here sometime? I'm sure she'd be great friends with Rahi and Ying! Though, Ying can be a bit shy, but I'm sure they'd have fun!"

Ash smiled at her, "Maybe sometime. That'd be nice. She doesn't have many kids her age over in Bluebell."

They were talking and laughing so much, Lillian actually grew a little hoarse. Ash was so much fun to be around, kind of like Cam.

"How's Cam been doing?"

Ash smiled, "He's dating Laney now!"

"Called it!" Lillian laughed, "Honestly, they live together!"

"Yeah, but that's what surprised me. I thought they only had a sibling relationship."

"Well, maybe he sweet-talked her with his flowers! They're a sure-fire way to a girl's heart!"

"Haha, really?"

"Sure!"

Ash reached up and plucked a cherry blossom, presenting it to her.

"Here, now you can cheer up!"

She laughed. Ash looked a little affronted, "What's so funny?"

"Cam did the same thing to cheer me up once! You guys are so much alike!" she said, taking the flower, "Thank you, though! It's very thoughtful!"

"I'm glad," he said, smiling at her. Then he looked at the sky. The sun was setting. "It's getting late, maybe I should take food to go."

"Oh, no, I'm sorry, I kept you too long!"

Ash laughed, "Don't worry, I had lots of fun! We should do this again sometime!"

"That'd be great!" she said, sincerely. She led him into the teahouse and he bought enough noodles for himself and his family. While at the counter, Hiro appeared from the outdoor table.

"Hey Lillian! Oh, I'm afraid I don't know who you are," he lamented, looking at Ash.

"Oh, Hiro, this is Ash. He's a farmer from Bluebell. Ash, Hiro is our doctor."

"It's nice to meet you," he said pleasantly.

"I don't see many Bluebell folk over here, but it makes a nice change! How are you feeling, Lillian?"

"Much better, thanks Hiro! Ash helped me on my farm today!"

"Really? I would've thought your other friend would've helped you. He didn't seem to want to leave you! Where is he, anyway?"

The tension was palpable, but Hiro was oblivious.

"Well, Hiro is a farmer, he knows how to take care of livestock, so he was very helpful!"

"Oh, that's good!" Hiro said, sincerely, "I didn't think your other friend would be the type to do that sort of thing, anyway! You should have seen him last night! He played the most wonderful music on his violin! I can't wait for the Music Festival! It's open to Bluebell villagers, so you can come to Ash!" Hiro was really oblivious over the vital information he just revealed.

"I'm so glad you know you're way around the farm, Ash! Sometimes, even Lillian needs help with her work!" he laughed.

"Yeah, ha ha," Ash forced a laugh, thinking about how he didn't help her out of the river.

"Well, I really must be going. It was nice to meet you! See you, Lillian!" and with that, he turned and walked out the door. Ash finished paying for his food and they turned and slowly walked up towards the mountain, avoiding talking about what was really on their minds. Eventually, they reached the summit. It was a little past 8 now.

"Good thing I have my owl," he said, half-heartedly. They were standing on the wooden platform.

"See you, Lillian," he said, hugging her tightly. She hugged him just as tightly.

"Thank you so much for today!" she whispered.

"Hey, no problem," he said softly, pulling away and smiling at her. He whistled and his owl flew down to him.

"See you," he said again and took off. Lillian watched him go, feeling lonely. Then, she heard a rustle and jumped, turning around. It was _him_, his white hair gleaming in the moonlight. He looked serene, violin case in hand. The sight made her furious.

"How dare you!" she yelled at him. She stormed towards him and began punching his chest.

"How dare you!" she yelled again, punctuating each punch with her words. He made no move to stop her. It made her convictions worse. He set down his violin case beside himself.

"Lillian."

"Why?!" she yelled, "Why would you do that?! You made me believe-! You made me-! And _Ash_-!"

"Oh, yes, I saw you two while I was leaving the summit."

She stopped punching him, grabbing his shirt instead, "Creeper!"

He said nothing.

"You lied to me."

"Yes, I did."

"_Why?_"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"You're heartless?" she offered.

He laughed humorlessly.

"_Believe_ me, if I was heartless, I wouldn't have acted the way I did."

"Then, why?"

"Because you were all buddy-buddy with him after he'd left you to drown in the river!"

"But he didn't know I was in the river! He only saw Cheryl!"

"Yes, and even now, he only sees his sister!"

"You don't understand!"

"No, Lillian, it's you who doesn't understand." He bent down so they were at eye level. She glared at him.

"What the hell! I don't understand you! You hate me when I smash your violin! You hate me when I talk to other people! You're….you're _hateful_!"

He laughed again, "Is that the best you've got?"

"Ah! Forget you!" she yelled in frustration, marching back to the summit, "I'm going home!"

"Yes, and leave me standing here like you did with your boyfriend today."

She spun around, "He's not my boyfriend! He's just a friend!"

"It doesn't seem that way."

"And what would you know?!"

"Careful now, you're shouting will wake the wildlife," he sounded amused. Lillian wasn't a violent person, but she wanted to strangle him and cry! Why must he manipulate her?

She stood there, silently seething, fists balled at her side. He smirked at her.

"You know what'll calm you down? A little music!" he said, still smirking and grabbing his violin case. He held his hand out to her.

"No way!"

"C'mon, I don't bite!"

She glared at his hand.

"C'mon, Lillian, it's the least you can do for infuriating me today."

She was angered beyond words, "I-I-! Aaahh!"

He laughed, "I'll take that as a yes then," and he walked forward, took her hand, and led her to the mountaintop. Lillian trudged obnoxiously behind him, making enraged sounds, Mikhail laughing in front of her.

"It's late. It's fall. It's cold. I need to get home."

"This'll only take a few, Lillian." A few _what_, exactly?

He put down his case and opened it. He then started taking off his coat.

"Uh, why are you stripping?" she asked, suddenly nervous.

He looked at her expression and laughed, "You said you were cold! And look, you're shivering!"

"Well, if I am, I'll have you know it's because I'm extremely annoyed at you!"

"Of course you are," he said, grabbing her suddenly and putting her arms through the sleeves, ignoring her protests of "Hey! What are you doing?! This is molestation!" and let her go, taking out his violin. She stared at him, stupidly.

He looked at her again, "Well, _sit_, obviously."

Her eyebrow twitched as she glared at him, but she plopped on the ground, crossing her arms, making as much fuss as possible. She did feel warmer in his coat, though.

Then he began to play, and it was so entrancing that she found herself relaxing against her will, smiling. She closed her eyes and laid down on the grass, feeling peaceful. Part of her wanted to be angry still, but she couldn't help but enjoy his music.

The music eventually stopped. He put the violin in the case and closed it. She opened her eyes. He looked at her.

"You're crying," he said, in surprise. She wiped her face and eyes. "Oh, look at that," she said, astonished.

He sat down next to her, "I've never seen my music affect anyone so much."

"Well, that was because…um…" she tried to think of an excuse.

"Did you like it, then?"

"I _loved_ it," she said, in spite of herself. Then he paled and turned towards him. He looked shocked at her emphatic response, but smiled and laughed a little, turning towards the sky.

"Good, I'm glad."

She turned away from him, looking at her knees, "You're still-"

"Still?" he asked, amused. She turned back to him and resisted the urge to jump at how close his face was. She scooted a little away.

"You're still…"

"Still what?" he asked, with a twinkle in his eye. He put his right hand in the space between him and leaned on his arm, moving closer. She moved her head away. How was she supposed to think straight if he was in her personal space?!

"Still…"

"Yes?" His face finally stopped moving, but it was still too close! She had trouble thinking straight. Her heart was pounding. What the heck!

She shoved his arm, standing up and stretching, making stretching sounds!

"Boy, am I beat! Better get home, things to do! Ha ha ha!" and she started to run.

"Lillian."

She froze, "What is it?"

"My coat," he said, amused. Her jaw dropped. Geez. She took it off and handed it to him, but instead of grabbing the coat, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. She gasped, putting her right hand on his chest to brace herself.

"You didn't answer the question."

"The question?"

"What am I, still?" he said, smiling. He bent down his face, moving closer. Her mind went in panic mode.

"I can't answer if you're this close!" she meant to shout, but it came out sort of breathless, and she cursed herself. She tried to push away, but he held her other hand against his chest with his free hand.

"Never mind, I think I have the answer," and with that he met her lips.


	4. Only with You

**Hope you enjoy!**

Lillian went wide-eyed. Her mind was blank. Mikhail was _kissing_ her!

When he pulled away, Lillian was still frozen. He smiled down at her and patted her head softly.

"C'mon," he said, cheerfully, taking his coat from her, putting it on, grabbing her hand, and leading her to the wooden summit; Lillian trailing numbly behind.

"You need to get to bed! I've kept you up too late!"

"Yeah," she said, not really paying attention. He _kissed _her! What was that about?

Mikhail looked at her and resisted the urge to laugh at her dumbfounded expression. She was so funny. Lillian whistled and her snowy owl came, perching on the wooden rail. She walked like a sleep-walker over to it.

"By the way, are you coming to the Music Festival tomorrow?" he said from behind her. That woke her up. She whipped around.

"It's _tomorrow?!_"

"Yeah, that a problem?" he said, amused.

She gaped at him. Hiro hadn't said it was _tomorrow!_ Should she invite Ash? But she already spent the whole day with him! Maybe she could have Dirk send him a letter? But, what if it didn't make it in time? She could fly her owl to Bluebell, but they might already be asleep, and besides, he wasn't her _boyfriend_ or anything! Besides, it would look to suspicious to Mikhail if she didn't fly to Konohana!

Mikhail looked at her like he knew her thoughts. It was horrible!

"Are…are you sure?"

He laughed, "Check your calendar more often, Lily!" _Lily?!_ No one called her Lily! She was about to yell at him but he began quickly walking down the hill. She exhaled, frustrated. _Now_ what?!

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The next morning, she woke up at 6, quickly finished her chores, then went back in her house and began writing a quick, last-minute invite to today's festival, having confirmed that it was today from her calendar. Lily wrote that she understood if he couldn't come and just wanted to let him know-

There was a knock at the door. Lillian jumped, but allowed the person to enter. It was Dirk.

"Hey, Lillian, just dropping off this letter. I couldn't get it to you last night.

She thanked him and began to read the letter as he left. It was from Ash, saying that he just checked his calendar and saw that tomorrow was the Music Festival and that he really wanted to go with her, but he'd promised Cheryl he'd spend the day with her today, since he'd spent the day with Lillian yesterday. He apologized, saying that he'd like to come by Konohana again sometime soon!

Lillian sighed. Just her luck. She wrote a reply and delivered it to Dirk, then began strolling around town. She ran into Reina and Nori, talking excitedly. When they saw her, they greeted her and added her in their conversation.

"Lillian, I'm so excited!" Reina yelled, "The Music Festival is finally here! I can't wait to her some beautiful music!"

"Yes, it seems to be a very pleasant festival!" Nori added.

"Don't tell me you're wearing _that_?" Reina said, gesturing to Lillian's work clothes.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Lillian, this is a _formal _event! Wear the classy outfit that Nori made you!"

"Ok, ok," Lillian said, not wanting to hurt Nori's feelings, "I'll see you at the festival, you guys," she said, walking back to her house.

After she got changed, she had lunch and made her way over to the town hall. Everyone was very excited and curious; apparently, there'd never been a Music Festival before! Lillian didn't know what to make of it. She liked music, but she was sorta disappointed that Ash couldn't come, still, which surprised her. She saw Cam and Laney together and ran over to them.

"Hey, you guys!"

"Hi, Lillian, are you excited?" Cam asked her.

"Of course!" she said, half-heartedly.

"Let's all sit together!" Laney suggested.

"Great idea!" Reina said, appearing out of nowhere with Nori, "Hey, Lillian, looking good!"

"Thanks, these clothes fit great!" she said to both her and Nori. Nori beamed.

"C'mon guys, it's gonna start soon!" Reina said. They quickly found seats near the stage. She found herself engaged in conversation with Nori and Reina, laughing and smiling. Then Mayor Ina got on the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, "It's my pleasure to begin the first annual Music Festival! Here are our musicians, Mikhail and Helen!" Everyone clapped, but Lillian's jaw dropped. Somehow, it never occurred to her where Mikhail was. He entered the stage, smiling, with his violin, as an older lady Lillian assumed was Helen sat at the piano.

"He's _so _handsome!" Reina whispered to them among the murmurs, "And all this time, he's been in _our_ village?!"

Lillian found this surprising at first that Reina didn't know Mikhail, but then again, she didn't know who he was when she ran him over. She looked at Reina and whispered something back.

"Thank you, Mayor Ina," Mikhail said formally, "I hope you all enjoy this piece I composed myself." More murmurs erupted. Reina was head over heels. Lillian groaned. _How arrogant!_ But then, Mikhail started playing and it was the most beautiful music she'd ever heard. It was different from last night, and even more beautiful. However, she didn't want to be entranced _again_ by him. So she resisted, still enjoying it, but enjoying it as if it was a distant memory, while Reina, Nori, and Laney crying around her. But, she had to admit, Mikhail looked so very peaceful with his violin.

When it ended, everyone was clapping, cheering and crying. Lillian clapped politely.

"Lillian, you're crying," Cam said quietly to her. She brought her hand up to her face, and when it came back wet, she cursed under her breath. So it would seem. Everyone was beginning to either leave the town hall or stay behind to talk to Mikhail. Lillian wanted to escape, but Reina dragged her back, admonishing her for not wanting to talk to such a great musician! Even Cam said it reminded him of springtime. She groaned.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, people started clearing out, allowing Reina to finally get her chance to talk to Mikhail. She finally relinquished her grip on Lillian's arm and she moved away with difficulty through the crowd. She was about to leave, when she saw Helen packing up to leave. She went over to her.

"That was some very impressive piano playing!" she said, sincerely.

Helen laughed, "Oh, thanks, my dear! I don't get many adoring fans, to be honest, they all go after that young fellow there," Helen gestured to him, but Lillian didn't turn around.

"Well, I thought you were great! How long have you been playing?"

"Since I was very young, maybe eight years old."

"That's amazing! I've never been very musical myself."

"Oh, have you ever had lessons?"

"Well, I did, once, but-"

Suddenly, someone grabbed her right arm and dragged her backwards, making her stumble, "-and Lillian was _crying_! Can you believe it?! I mean, we were _all_ crying, but _Lillian_ of all people! Now, that's just a miracle, Mikhail!"

"Oh, is it?" Mikhail asked. Lillian looked at his chest, then turned to look back at Helen, but she was already heading out the door. She moved to go over to her, but Reina was stronger than she looked.

"Yes! You'd never know she could be so emotional!" Lillian wanted to sink into the ground. She didn't want to deal with Mikhail until she was less confused about last night.

"Well, we have to get going," Cam said, apologetically, holding hands with Laney and moving towards the exit.

"Yes, I have to-" Lillian began, but Reina cut her off.

"So, Mikhail, do you play any other instruments?" Nori moved next to Lillian and they started having a quiet conversation about how pretty the music was and various crops this fall, and Howard's reaction to the music and-"

"Lillian." She turned around at the sound of her name. Mikhail had spoken it. _Oh great, I'm making eye contact._

"What?" she asked, confused. Reina made a face at her.

"That's a nice outfit you have on. I really like it." Lillian blushed against her will, forcing herself to keep eye contact.

"Thanks, um, Nori made it for me, actually! She's very talented!" she exclaimed, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder. He smiled at her and she blushed.

"You were _so_ great, Mikhail!" Reina said again. He smiled and her, and she beamed.

"I'm delighted to hear it, thank you. I hope you'll all come back next year!"

"Of course we will!" she exclaimed.

There was a pause. Lillian began to pry Reina off her arm.

"Um, it's getting late-"

"Let's have dinner together!" Reina exclaimed.

"No, Reina, we have to go now. Mikhail has to rest," Nori said, quietly, but firmly. Reina looked at her like she'd suggested they'd cut off their arms, but she surprisingly relented, waving at Mikhail, and beginning to walk away, dragging Lillian with her, not that she was complaining.

"See you, Mikhail!" Reina said, cheerfully, leaving him staring after them as they left.

They began walking home. Reina began chatting excitedly about how cool Mikhail was. Nori and Lillian happily agreed with her, both sincerely admitting that they'd had fun today. They went their separate ways, after some time. Lillian began quietly walking home, feeling tired. The festival had been nice, though.

She went inside, greeted her pets, changed into her pajamas and bathrobe, and began making some tea. Someone knocked at her door and Mikhail came in. She turned around, surprised.

"Hello, Lillian. Oh, you're making tea?"

"Yes, would you like some?" she offered politely. He accepted, hanging his coat on the coat hanger and sitting at her table. She turned her back to him, making tea and yawning.

"So, Lily, it's a _miracle_ that you cry? I would never have guessed!"

She twitched. "Don't call me Lily."

"Why not?"

"You're making fun of me."

"No, I'm not," he replied, emphatically. She brought the tea to the table and sat down across from him, drinking.

"Where did you meet Helen?" she asked, suddenly curiously. He laughed, "Oh, yes, I saw you talking to her. That was very nice of you. Not many people come up to her."

"Is she a relative?" she asked, ignoring his statement.

"No, she's actually my old music teacher. We perform together now."

"Oh, really? Wow," she said, suddenly interested. Then, she began drinking more tea.

"So-"

"You're wondering why I kissed you," he stated, causing her to almost choke. She began to stutter some unintelligible response.

"I kissed you because it seemed like the right thing to do," he stated, causing her to become even more confused.

"What does that even mean?!" she said, too loudly. Her dog stirred a little. Mikhail laughed quietly.

"You're so cute when you're frustrated." She didn't have a response to that, so she grunted and drank more tea.

"It's a shame that Bluebell boy couldn't come today." She looked up, surprised, but then she went back to staring at her tea.

"I suppose."

Silence.

"You didn't bring your violin? Don't you carry it everywhere?"

"I just played the Music Festival. I'm allowed a break, aren't I?"

"I-I wasn't insinuating-!" He laughed again, and she found herself laughing with him. His laugh was so musical.

"I never hear you laugh much," he stated, "It's so musical."

"I get told that a lot," she joked. He laughed again, then yawned.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm getting tired," he said, standing up. He picked up the cup, but she took it from him, putting his and hers in the sink. When she turned around, he was by the door with his coat on.

"I'm surprised you didn't collapse at my music again, like you did last night."

"Well, I knew what to expect this time!" He laughed again.

"You're always laughing," she speculated quietly.

"Only with you," he said, making her blush, "Thanks for the tea!"

"No problem," she mumbled, not looking at him. He walked over to her. Her heart began to pound. He patted her head, lightly.

"See you, Lily!" he said, cheerfully. She looked up and glared again, and he smiled and left.


End file.
